SUPREME COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22469, 13 July 1936, Page 11

SUPREME COURT

DEFECTS of building COMMENT BY MINISTER ••PICTURESQUE OLD RUINS" MUCH ALTERATION NEEDED In Obnipany with, local representatives of the architectural branch of the Public Works Department, the Minister of Justice, the Hon. IT. G. P Mason, made a further inspection of' the Supreme Court building on gaturday morning. "The building is a picturesque old rum, all very interest•ng to look iii from the outside," the Minister said afterward, "but it is no place for the administration of justice, which, after all, is intended to be its primary purpose." The building was .extremely inconvenient, the Minister said, and a number of problems arose as to how to provide accommodation in it. The erection of the new law library would slightly relieve the pressure, but in gpite of that the building would require fairly extensive alterations. Lack of Light and Sun "51 v ambition." said Mr. Mason, "is to move the stall' from the corner of the building now occupied lov them, which is cramped, inconvenient, cold an d sunless, and to try to get them -to the opposite side of the building, uhere they would have more light, sunshine and room. I am also trying to arrange for accommodation for a library for the Judges. The difficulty arises from the fact that there arc •usually more than one Judge in Auckland. As things are at. present it moans that when one Judgo wishes to use the library he has to go into the other Judge's room, and that is not convenient." The Minister also said that the caretaker's premises were inconvenient and hard to keep clean owing to their age fl nd construction. They were desperated cold, as indeed the whole building "was. It was impossible to administer justice when tho attention was being distracted from the business in hand by a cold shivering body.

Hearing Difficulties The acoustic properties of tho main courtroom required serious attention, the Minister continued. The structure of the hall was such that the slightest noise in the part reserved for tho public, even a footstep, reverberated through the whole courtroom and distracted the proceedings. The questions of counsel and the replies of witnesses caused reverberation and were hard to bear. Courts were made for the hearing of cases, although hearing seemed the very last thing that was provided for. in times.past at least. "I know that' pe°P' e develop an affection for ancient architecture," said Mr. Ma son, "but tho building is not intended to be an interesting old ruin. Its primary purpose is to be convenient for the administration of justice, and also it has to provide comfortable conditions; for those working in it. I am examining it with a view to discovering whether these things can be provided. It is not an easy matter. "To be quite frank the whole place should have been pulled down and rebuilt on modern lines. As it is, however. it is probable that with the expenditure of a few thousands of pounds will manage to make it suffice for tie present generation. These makeshifts arc never very satisfactory."